Blenheim Palace - Baroque Masterpiece of England

Built for the Duke of Marlborough as a reward for defeating the armies of Louis 14th during the War of the Spanish Succession, Blenheim is a study of baroque splendour like no other. Britain’s greatest ever military commander rose from comparatively humble origins to found a dynasty of nobles which eventually provided Britain with Winston Churchill, who was actually born here in 1874.

Queen Anne gifted the Duke the land in 1705 and parliament voted the fantastic sum of £240,000 to built and house that was simultaneously and national monument and, eventually, a mausoleum.

Architect John Vanburgh was a controversial choice, not least for the Duchess who wanted Sir Christopher Wren and was eventually to ban Vanburgh from even seeing his baroque masterpiece.

Sarah herself was a controversial figure and having dominated Queen Anne for so long eventually fell from favour and was forced to flee abroad until the Queens death in 1714.

The magnificent parkland surrounding the palace was redesigned by Capability Brown in 1764 including the proper damming of the River Glyme to create the famous lake which almost surrounds the palace. This also caused the flooding of the lower half of Vanbrug’s controversial bridge including most of the 30 odd rooms that it contained.

Among the objects of interest for Winston fans are the room and bed in which he was born and the greek temple folly where he eventually plucked up the courage to propose to Clementine before their marriage in 1908.

Its a lovely day out, great for art lovers, history fans and those who appreciate the beauty of nature and the splendour of art.